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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24989023">(Family is) A lot more than blood</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart'>HopeSilverheart</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Loving Em at 2AM [47]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Criminals, Banter, Boys In Love, Crime Leader Alec Lightwood, Crimes &amp; Criminals, Criminal Aline, Criminal Isabelle, Criminal Lydia, Dancer Magnus, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Established Relationship, Family Dinners, Fluff, Found Family, Humor, Lawyer Jace, Lightwood Family Feels, M/M, Meeting the Family, Organized Crime, Protective Aline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:54:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24989023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“We should have dinner,” he blurted out, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. If the alarmed look on Alec’s face was anything to go by, he was just as enchanted by that idea as Magnus was. Which was to say, not a lot. “Oh come on, it could be nice! You could invite all your siblings, I could invite all of mine, and we would all spend a wonderful evening together. I have a feeling you would get along well with Ragnor, and you seem to think Isabelle and I would hit it off immediately. What could possibly go wrong?”</p><p>Alec snorted derisively, and Magnus grimaced. Alright, so a lot of things could go wrong, but now that the idea – however distasteful – had popped up in his mind, he wasn’t going to let it go until his boyfriend agreed to hosting the family dinner of the decade.</p><p>Or: Magnus and Alec meet their partner's families.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Loving Em at 2AM [47]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764400</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>127</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>(Family is) A lot more than blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/gifts">thatnerdemryn</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Magnus two weeks to understand the implications behind Alec’s true identity. He had been so caught up in the moment, so afraid of losing Alec or of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, that he hadn’t really taken the time to think about what it meant for him that his boyfriend was a crime lord. Leader. Boss. Whatever.</p><p>“When you talk to me about your family, do you mean- I mean, are you talking about your <em>family</em> family, or your crime family?” Magnus asked one evening as they were watching one of those inane shows he usually adored. He had been distracted all throughout their date, and he knew Alec had noticed, which was why he didn’t hold his question back.</p><p>Alec had told him to ask him whatever he wanted, whenever he felt it was necessary. Magnus knew his boyfriend had been expecting a lot more than the little things Magnus had already asked him about, but truth be told, Magnus simply didn’t know enough about the crime world to wonder about the details of Alec’s life. Sure, he had asked about the killing and the hurting and whatnot, but he had completely forgotten that there was another aspect to the life his boyfriend led.</p><p>He had been focusing so much on the ‘crime’ that he had forgotten about the ‘organised’. Alec ran an organisation, a powerful one from what Magnus understood, and he was only now connecting it to the ‘family’ Alec so often spoke about.</p><p>“Whilst you, of all people, should know that family is a lot more than blood, I’ll let it slide this once because I know what you’re trying to ask,” Alec sighed, pausing the show. Magnus winced slightly, because that <em>had</em> been slightly callous on his part, but straightened up when Alec twisted around to stare at him. “Isabelle is my biological sister, although she also works for me. Jace is my adoptive brother, but he’s a lawyer at a fancy firm uptown. Lydia isn’t related to me at all, but she’s still my sister. Aline is technically my cousin, I believe, but she’s also my sister. The rest of my organisation are like my cousins, except they all respect me as though I was their particularly strict uncle or something.”</p><p>“Right,” Magnus nodded slowly. He had inferred from prior conversations that Alec’s parents were out of the picture, although he wasn’t sure whether they had left them or had died. However, it was nice to know a little more about the rest of this patched up family he had put together. “So these four siblings of yours all matter to you equally? I mean, you don’t treat Isabelle any differently than you do the other three? I’m not asking because I think you would, just so you know, but family is something that I’ve always…”</p><p>“I know, Magnus,” Alec chuckled softly, caressing Magnus’ cheek gently before answering. “And to be honest, I probably do treat them all differently, but not because I care about Izzy more than I do about Lydia. They’re just four very different people, and it wouldn’t make sense for me to treat them the same way when our relationships are all very different. Izzy is my annoying little sister who’s constantly trying to impress me, while Lydia is almost like a kindred spirit who I can go to when I have a problem. Jace is my only brother, so things are even more different between us, and Aline is probably the one I feel the most protective about.”</p><p>Magnus hummed thoughtfully. He didn’t have much to compare Alec’s family to, because his consisted of Catarina, who was sometimes like his older sister, sometimes a little too much like his mother, Ragnor, their grumpy uncle, and Raphael – the sarcastic but secretly soft little brother. However, he still thought he could relate to what his boyfriend was saying.</p><p>He had always imagined Alec’s family as this perfect group of people – and dangerous, once he had found out about their criminal dynasty – and fitting this new idea of a family quite like his was… Well, it was nice to know that his boyfriend and he had something else in common, but it was still going to take some time for him to grow used to it.</p><p>“We should have dinner,” he blurted out, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. If the alarmed look on Alec’s face was anything to go by, he was just as enchanted by that idea as Magnus was. Which was to say, not a lot. “Oh come on, it could be nice! You could invite all your siblings, I could invite all of mine, and we would all spend a wonderful evening together. I have a feeling you would get along well with Ragnor, and you seem to think Isabelle and I would hit it off immediately. What could possibly go wrong?”</p><p>Alec snorted derisively, and Magnus grimaced. Alright, so a lot of things could go wrong, but now that the idea – however distasteful – had popped up in his mind, he wasn’t going to let it go until his boyfriend agreed to hosting the family dinner of the decade.</p><p>“Look, my family has been dying to meet you ever since I told them I was seeing someone seriously,” Magnus said quietly, lacing his fingers with Alec’s and letting his boyfriend fidget with his rings the way he always did when he was feeling unsure about something. “They’re worried and excited, and I know your siblings probably feel the same way about me. This way, we would be killing two birds with one stone. You have to admit it’s a tempting offer, Alexander.”</p><p>“It is,” Alec groaned, leaning forward until he was bent in half over Magnus, his head resting in the crook of Magnus’ neck. “But I’m not sure you’re ready to deal with my family quite yet, especially not so soon after finding out about what we all do for a living. And are you really ready to lie to your entire family about me? Because as much as I trust you, I don’t quite know them yet, and there’s a lot more at risk here than just my secret and my life.”</p><p>“It’ll be fine, darling,” Magnus assured him, raising his hands to Alec’s shoulders and rubbing them soothingly. “As long as you can make your siblings behave and come up with reasonable cover stories, you have nothing to worry about. All we’ll have to do is cook up a wonderful dinner, decorate this horrible place to make it more party-friendly, and charm each other’s family. Easy.”</p><p>“Right,” Alec chuckled. “<em>Easy</em>. Given the choice, I think I would rather go out on a one against four mission with a single gun as my weapon of choice.”</p><p>“That sounds… dangerous.”</p><p>“It is,” Alec drawled. “But it would still be a lot less dangerous than walking into a room with my four infernal siblings as well as your protective ones. I’ve made it out of impossible situations alive, Magnus, but this might be the one that tips the scales and sends me straight to hell.”</p><p>“For someone who’s always complaining about my dramatic antics, you certainly are quite the drama queen, Alexander,” Magnus huffed fondly, tilting Alec’s chin up and smiling at him lovingly. “Darling, I promise that everything will be fine. You’re an amazing man who makes me happy, which means my friends will adore you. And I’m a charming man who managed to woo the leader of a crime organisation, so I’m sure your siblings will be pieces of cake in comparison.”</p><p>Alec still looked unconvinced, but just as Magnus had planned, he gave in eventually. A few kisses, some cajoling, and some slightly less appropriate activities later, Magnus had his boyfriend’s approval to plan a dinner with their families. He still didn’t look happy about it, but he was also too blissed out to really refuse anything, so Magnus would take whatever he could take.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Planning the event itself turned out to be a lot harder than Magnus had anticipated. The cooking and location and decorations were easy enough to organise, but the juggling of nine different schedules? Not so much.</p><p>Alec, Lydia, Aline, and Isabelle all had completely random schedules that depended on factors Magnus couldn’t predict, which meant they would all have to take a night off at some point, leaving their organisation in someone else’s reins – such a thing was apparently easier said than done, according to Alec.</p><p>Catarina was just as hard to accommodate, since working as an ER nurse hardly gave her the most consistent schedule. She had given him her timetable and asked him to place the dinner on a day when she was working the morning shift, but that was <em>also</em> easier said than done.</p><p>Jace, Raphael, and Ragnor were all available at reasonable times, but Ragnor lived in England, which meant that Magnus had to convince him to fly all the way to New York just to meet his boyfriend. In the end, it didn’t take too much bribing, but it was almost more of a pain than his best friend was worth. Magnus loved Ragnor, he really did, but the man lived to make his life difficult, and Magnus already had enough on his plate with Alec and his insanely complicated family to deal with a prickly Englishman.</p><p>In the end, it took him just over a month to find the perfect evening. Alec had promised him that his sisters and he would be free all night, having handed control of their organisation to one of their most trusted lieutenants as a way to test him whilst also keeping someone relatively competent in control. Cat was tired but available, and the men were all ready to finally attend this infamous dinner.</p><p>In comparison, getting ready for the dinner itself was almost comically easy. Magnus left his apartment early in the afternoon and was at Alec’s two minutes later, taking out the fancy cutlery his boyfriend hid in the drawers and making plans for the meal. Alec watched on fondly, knowing his input was neither needed nor truly wanted, although he helped Magnus whenever the older man struggled with something.</p><p>They had a lovely afternoon, spending time together whilst talking about their weeks, their plans for the near future, and what they were hoping would happen that night. B the time their guests arrived, Magnus was in a great mood and all too ready to play his part as a charming and polite host.</p><p>Unfortunately, the first person to arrive was Ragnor, which meant Magnus would have to wait a while longer until he met the people he was <em>truly</em> interested in. Although watching his boyfriend and his best friend was really something, especially once they had gotten past the first few uncomfortable minutes and moved on to talking about the interests they shared.</p><p>Five minutes later the doorbell rang again, and Magnus was waiting in the corridor when Alec’s sisters made it out of the elevator. Even though he had been warned that only one of them was biologically related to his boyfriend, it was still strange to see the differences between the three women.</p><p>The one in the middle had to be Isabelle, with her flowing dark hair, even darker and entrancing eyes, skin almost as pale as Alec’s, and a smile that could cut through diamonds. She was as beautiful as Alec, and Magnus could see the resemblance immediately. Their parents had to be something to give birth to such stunning children. Not to say that Alec’s other sisters weren’t also gorgeous.</p><p>The two of them were a stark contrast to each other. Glossy light hair and twinkling blue eyes on Isabelle’s right; straight black hair and warm black eyes to her left. They looked deadly, and Magnus didn’t have a hard time imagining them as the criminal trio they were in their professional lives.</p><p>He cleared his throat and shook himself out of his daze. He wasn’t here to admire Alec’s siblings, no matter how pretty and mysterious they appeared; he was here to make a great first impression and dazzle them with his humour, kindness, and whatever other hidden talents he might have.</p><p>“Welcome!” he exclaimed, grinning brightly at the girls. Isabelle returned his smile easily, as did the blonde – although hers was slightly more guarded – but the dark-haired woman just stared at him with pinched lips. “Right, I’m Magnus Bane, it’s a pleasure to meet all of you! Alec has told me so much about his sisters, and it’s a delight to finally get to see you in real life.”</p><p>“Likewise,” the blonde answered, her smile turning into something a little more genuine. “I’m Lydia Branwell, and I can’t wait to find out all there is to know about the man who’s stolen our impassive brother’s heart. You’ve really done a number on him, you know, and I’m curious to understand what’s so special about you.”</p><p>“What Lydia means to say is that Alec talks about you a lot,” Isabelle nudged the blonde sharply, her smile sharpening even as she continued meeting Magnus’ gaze head on. “He’s really in love, which we thought would never happen. Only an amazing man could have reduced him to so much sappiness, so we’re eager to get to know you.”</p><p>“Yeah, talk for yourselves,” the dark-haired woman – Aline, Magnus assumed – scoffed, pushing past Magnus and walking into her brother’s apartment. “Some of us are just here to make sure Alec’s boyfriend isn’t taking advantage of him and his ridiculously romantic tendencies.”</p><p>Magnus gaped after her, wondering if he had done something to offend her or if she was simply as protective of Alec as he was of her. It was a sweet sentiment, although Magnus could already tell it would make his life and this evening infinitely more complicated than he wanted it to be.</p><p>“Forgive her,” Isabelle grimaced, gesturing in Aline’s direction. “She’s just on edge because it’s been a while since Alec has shown interest in anyone, and she’s dealing with her own issues on top of that, so…”</p><p>“I completely understand,” Magnus cut her off, waving her concerns away and stepping back into the apartment in an invitation for them to follow him. “Besides, I’m quite certain that Raphael will act the same way when he shows up, so she won’t be the only suspicious family member in the room. Maybe they can bond over their overprotective behaviours.”</p><p>That got a chuckle out of both women, and Magnus cheered inwardly. Maybe he had slightly downplayed how much this dinner meant to him to Alec, if only so that his boyfriend didn’t panic about everything too much. But deep down, Magnus really wanted these women – and Jace, when he got there – to like him. Alec meant the world to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was clash with his lover’s family.</p><p>When he walked back into the living room, it was to the sight of Aline clinging to Alec’s arm possessively as she stared at Ragnor suspiciously. Magnus’ friend must have said <em>something</em> snappy, because the woman looked down at the floor guiltily before grinning at Ragnor ruefully, getting a chuckle out of him.</p><p>Well, if nothing else, at least Ragnor was getting along with the third sister. It wasn’t ideal, but Magnus couldn’t afford to be picky. If those two got to know each other, perhaps Ragnor would be able to give Magnus some tips as to how he was supposed to charm this reluctant sister.</p><p>Before he could think about Aline’s behaviour too much, someone else knocked at the door, and Magnus spun around just in time to catch Raphael and Catarina slink into the apartment discreetly. His two friends were looking around curiously, obviously trying to get an idea of who Alec was by observing his furniture and decorations. Unfortunately for them, Alec wasn’t the type of man to scatter himself all over his personal space. If anything, the apartment screamed of Magnus more than it did Alec, which did nothing but send butterflies straight to Magnus’ stomach.</p><p>“Alec,” he called his boyfriend over, gesturing at their two new guests and letting Alec head over to them as he spotted the blond man who had just entered the apartment and was dutifully closing the door behind him. The final sibling was here, which meant it was time for the fun to begin. “And you must be Jace.”</p><p>He walked over to the blond man hurriedly, extending a hand for him to shake and sighing relievedly when Jace took it without hesitation. The man was dressed in a smart suit, and Magnus suddenly remembered that this was the ‘sensible’ sibling, the one who had opted out of the family business and had gone into law instead.</p><p>His smile was all arrogance and charm, but he stood straight and looked Magnus in the eye as he introduced himself, and Magnus could easily see them becoming – if not friends – at least brother in laws who respected each other.</p><p>(Not that Magnus was already thinking about marriage with Alec, absolutely not. What a ridiculous notion.)</p><p>“I see you’ve already met the infernal trio,” Jace chuckled, his voice deep and full of humour. Yes, Magnus could really see himself appreciating this man’s company, if only to add a little bit of normality to the insanity his life had become ever since Alec had admitted to being a crime leader. “Don’t let those three get into your head. They’re dangerous, yes, but never to the people that Alec really cares about, and I can tell he truly loves you. I don’t know you yet but thank you for making my brother as happy as he’s been these past few months. I never thought he would find the one for him, but I think he might have gotten lucky with you.”</p><p>Magnus’ lips parted in shock. He had expected Jace to be the hardest one to convince, since brothers were notoriously tougher than sisters to crack, but he should have known that Alec’s family would be different. After all, this was the only non-criminal sibling. He was probably a hard-ass, as many lawyers were, but at least he didn’t look like he was two seconds away from pulling out a gun and shooting someone.</p><p>“That means a lot to me,” Magnus finally said, clearing his throat and looking down to hide his blush. “The girls are- Well, Isabelle and Lydia were perfectly nice to me, although Aline seems to hate me on principle, but I can tell they’re a little… intense?”</p><p>“That’s one word for it,” Jace chuckled. “Now, please tell me you’re the one who cooked dinner tonight? No offence to Alec’s culinary skills, but I still have nightmares from when we were younger and living together. If there’s one thing Lightwoods are bad at, it’s cooking.”</p><p>Magnus let out a bark of laughter, his eyes crinkling up as he remembered the few times Alec had tried cooking for him. Jace perked up, clearly aware that there were stories he could get out of Magnus, and the dark-haired man smirked, eager to swap Alec-related tales. Any blackmail he could get on his boyfriend was useful, especially for moments when Alec got so busy that he forgot to eat.</p><p>He dragged Jace with him to the kitchen, ignoring his Raphael-shadow as they went and settling into an easy conversation with the blond man. He showed him around the kitchen, making him try the dishes and smiling, satisfied, when Jace admitted that it was better than anything he and his siblings had ever made for family dinners before.</p><p>Ten minutes later, he grinned even brighter when the entire table congratulated him on his cooking, even Aline, who was clearly warming up to him thanks to Alec. His boyfriend was sitting at the head of the table across from Magnus, Aline on one side and Catarina on the other, and he looked completely relaxed, even as Magnus’ friend narrowed her eyes at him and asked him something underneath his breath.</p><p>He was so caught up in gazing adoringly at Alec that he almost missed Lydia’s next question. He had been engaged in a wonderful conversation with the blonde when Alec’s beauty and smiles had ensnared him, and he glanced at her apologetically as she repeated her last sentence.</p><p>“I was just asking about your career,” she said, a teasing smile tugging at her lips as her gaze strayed towards Alec. “Is it professional Alec-ogling? Because you’ve hardly taken your eyes off him all evening. I would call it adorable if it wasn’t so nauseating. In the best ways, of course.”</p><p>“You say the sweetest things, blondie,” Isabelle snorted from Magnus’ other side, swiftly dodging the kick Lydia had clearly aimed at her underneath the table. “Besides, I hardly think that would be a satisfying career; all Alec does with his days is work and work and fill in forms for the business.”</p><p>“I’m sure Alec does plenty of interesting things,” Magnus protested, jumping to his boyfriend’s defence as he always did when someone implied that all businessmen did was sit behind a desk and trick people out of their money. Of course, Alec did other things that were considerably more exciting than that, but even if all he did was paperwork, Magnus knew observing him would be far from boring. “However, you’re right, I do believe looking at him all the time would grow tiring after a while. I’m a dancer, actually, so I don’t think I could just sit around all day, no matter how attractive the subject of my attentions may be.”</p><p>Isabelle’s eyes sparkled excitedly, and Magnus remembered Alec telling him about his sister’s passion for sports, specifically ones that involved elegance and grace. He took advantage of the new topic and immediately launched into a detailed explanation of what he did for his job, who his favourite dancers were, what company he currently worked under, who he had danced with in the past…</p><p>Soon enough, the brunette was hanging on to his every word, and Magnus knew he had won her over. From across the table, Alec winked at him, tilting his head towards Catarina, who was laughing at something he had just said. It seemed like they had both managed to charm at least one of their partner’s family members before dessert, which Magnus would definitely count as a victory.</p><p>Lydia had turned back towards Jace and Raphael, who were having an intense staring contest, and Ragnor and Aline were still talking to each other about something, so Magnus let himself get lost in his easy conversation with Isabelle. Discussing dance had always been one of his favourite things to do, and he saw no reason to deny himself such a simple pleasure.</p><p>Eventually, Lydia joined their discussion again, probably thanks to the pointed stare Alec had sent her, and Magnus adapted instantly, simplifying technical dancing terms into something Lydia could understand. Slowly but surely, the blonde warmed up to him even more, asking him if he had ever taken Alec to a dance show before and what his boyfriend had thought about it.</p><p>(He hadn’t taken Alec yet, but that was a wonderful date idea and Magnus would have to find a suitable gift to thank Lydia for her suggestion.)</p><p>An hour and a half after dinner had started, dessert had finally been polished off everyone’s plates, and Magnus had settled into a friendly debate about sweet versus savoury with Isabelle, Jace, Lydia, and Ragnor. Everyone else was chatting at the other end of the table, and Magnus was utterly content.</p><p>Or at least he would be, if he could finally talk to Aline and make sure that she didn’t leave the apartment hating him as much as she had when she first walked in. He caught Alec’s gaze and let his eyes flicker towards his dark-haired sister momentarily before trying to silently communicate his need to talk to her.</p><p>His boyfriend, bless his handsome soul, didn’t even hesitate before leaning over and saying something to his sister, pushing her towards the kitchen even as she sent him a suspicious glance. Magnus mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ in his direction before heading to the kitchen, dirty dishes in hand and determination written all over his face. He was going to get Aline to like him if it was the last thing he did.</p><p>He closed the kitchen door behind him, not wanting Alec to overheard if things went awry between the two of them. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Alec’s sister not to yell, but she had given him some truly insane death stares throughout the evening, so he didn’t know if anything was out of the question at this point.</p><p>Aline didn’t say a word as he set the dishes down into the sink and poured some water over them to let them soak. She didn’t say a word as he grabbed another bottle of wine as well as two glasses, filling them to the brim. She didn’t say a word as he handed one to her, although she took it with a slightly-less annoyed glance than she had been fixing him with all night.</p><p>“I can’t believe Alec talked me into this,” the woman scoffed, downing half of her wine in one go without even wincing. Magnus matched her sip for sip, earning himself a brief look of approval before she went back to scowling down at her glass. “I wasn’t even going to come in the first place, but someone needs to look out for him, since Lydia and Isabelle have clearly been swept into your shenanigans.”</p><p>“Well I, for one, am glad you came,” Magnus said sincerely. “Alec loves you to pieces, which means I care about you by association, no matter how much you may dislike me. Look, I get that you’re afraid I’m going to hurt him, but I love Alec heart and soul, and I would never deliberately cause him harm.”</p><p>“But you might do it accidentally.”</p><p>“And so might you,” Magnus pointed out, shrugging nonchalantly. “Look, everyone who holds a fragment of his heart can hurt him, but that doesn’t mean we will, or that we can’t put him back together if we ever do.”</p><p>Aline bit at her bottom lip, and Magnus could see the conflicting emotions warring behind her eyes. She clearly wanted to protect Alec, but it was probably becoming obvious to her that there was nothing to protect him <em>from</em> when it came to Magnus.</p><p>“I don’t know what I can do to prove that Alec means the world to me,” he smiled crookedly. “But I love him so much, Aline, more than I ever have anyone else in my life. Hell, I learned about his career and it didn’t even phase me that much, because I love him enough to look past his flaws and his dangerous job and his slightly crazy family.”</p><p>With that, he turned the tap off and backed out of the kitchen, hoping he had managed to reach Aline’s heart and make her understand that he really, truly cared about Alec, and probably always would.</p><p>“Hey, did you just call my family crazy?!”</p><p>Her words followed him out of the room, and Magnus was laughing by the time he re-joined Alec and the rest of their families at the table. He handed his half-empty glass of wine to his boyfriend and rested his chin on top of Alec’s head, smiling contentedly.</p><p>He wasn’t sure he had charmed all of Alec’s siblings, and he wasn’t sure Alec had either, but they were getting somewhere. If nothing else, Magnus had made three good friends over the course of the evening and had gotten to spend some time with Catarina, Raphael, and Ragnor.</p><p>It wasn’t what he had anticipated, but it was entirely him and entirely Alec, and he thought the evening couldn’t have gone better.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading! It occurred to me as I was writing my other crime fics of the day that Alec and Magnus haven't met each other's families in this universe yet, so this happened! I hope you all enjoyed it &lt;3</p><p>Love, Junie. </p><p>(find me on tumblr @hopesilverheart)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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